Sail-equipped lifeboat having leeboards



Oct. 17, 1950 F. L. NANTZ 2.5255933 SAIL-EQUIPPED LIFEBOAT HAVING LEEBOARDS Filed May 12, 1945 Inventar E Eezzfi L. Nani'z Patented Oct. 17, 1950 OFFICE sarr-iienrrrapfnfrneomr HAVING LEEBOARDS Frank L. Nantz, Galveston, Tex. Application May 12, 1945, Serial No. 593,488

2 Claims.

feet aft of the sail mast there being one oar on each side and said oars being situated opposite each other for contributively, additively, and correctly performing reliable results.

Iam aware that leeboardsof different types are in common use for craft maneuvering, navigating and stabilizing purposes and that other type stabilizing planes, out-riggers and equivalent structures have been employed to counteract craft over-turning pressure of the wind upon the crafts sail. I believe that it is new and novel, as well as highly satisfactory, to simply adopt a pair of standard type rowing cars and to clamp these vertically on the walls of the craft or boat with the blade or paddle ends in the water and the shaft ends secured in the clamping and mounting devices.

Another object is to so construct the clamping devices that the cars can be removed and employed in their usual capacity.

Another object of the invention has to do with the idea and principle of using standard type oars in pair relationship, each oar having its handle portion provided with clamps, the clamps being adjustable in relation to each other, but normally spaced predetermined distances apart in respect to the longitudinal dimension of the car handle, whereby to so position said clamps that they may be readily applied and removed, making it possible to bring the cars into place, to serve as leeboards on a moments notice, and to likewise be able to detach same and either place them in the boat, or use them for rowing purposes, all depending upon the requirements of the varying types of situations met.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide leeboard forming cars and means whereby they may be properly situated and reliably rigged up outwardly of the walls of the boat or other craft, whereby it then becomes possible for the lifeboat to sail into the wind at about one to threedpoints, the arrangement and adaptation of parts being such that the invention does not add even one pound of weight to the craft, the cars when not in, use being placeable in the craft in limited storage spaces.

Another object of the invention has to do with the use of regular boat oars equipped with simple clamps and means whereby same may be attached to the sides of the sail-boat to assume substantially vertical positions, the established positions being between the bow andtransverse center, and not less than two feet aft of the sail mast, the lower or tip ends of the blades being disposed below the keel, and the fiat sides of said blades or paddles being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the craft in order that the feather-edges are situated to provide the desired ruddering and steering and stabilizing ac complishments. v

A further object of the invention has to do with simplified ways and means of installing, whenever necessary or desired, conventional cars for use in the capacity of leeboards, the means fixedly mounted on the side walls of the boat itself being such as to avoid the presence of unnecessary obstructions such as would tend to foul when launching the craft, the means carried by the oars themselves being such as to obviate the likelihood of weakening the inherent stability of said oars.

Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawing.

In the drawing, whereinlike numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the wall or gunwale of a boat, this provided with upper and lower clamps such as are adapted for fastening the handle or shaft portions of the cars in place.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the upper clamp shown in Figure l, and observing same in a direction from right to left.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an elevational view 'of the lower clamp shown in Figure 1, and observing same in a direction from right to left.

Figures 6 and 7 are small views showing themanner in which the leeboards are constructed and how they serve.

Reference is had firstto the-general assembly seen in Figure 1. This will sufiice to virtually cover the essential phases of the invention. The wall or gunwale is denoted by the numeral l0 and is provided at its top with a suitable marginal rim ii. The conventional boat oar is denoted by the numeral [2 and the shaft portion I3 is the :part which is clamped alongside of and exteriorly to the wall Ill. I found it advisable to use upper and lower clamps for this purpose. The upper clamping means is denoted generally by the nu= meral I 4, and the lower clamping means is indicated generally by the numeral [5.

The upper clamp H3 comprises a suitably braced. adapter arm l6 having a downturned inner end IT with a set screw l8 and further having a lug [9. These parts embrace the rim of the boat and serve to support the entire fixture or clamp in place. The outer end of the arm is provided with a semi-circular clamping section 20 to accommodate a correspondingly shaped semicircular cap clamping section 2|, both sections having coacting flanges 22 bolted together, as at 23. These parts embrace the shaft l3 of the car obviously.

Referring to the lower embracing and clamping means, this is made up of threecomponents or parts. First, there is the adapter and keeper bracket 24, this being bolted, as at 25, to the wall of the boat. It includes a slotted receptacle to accommodate a T-shaped attaching element 26 carried by the inner clamping member 21. The outer clamping cap member is indicated at 28 and both members 2'! and 28 are provided with flanges 29 bolted together, as at 39.

, ,The clampingdevices l4 and 15 are one above the other and are usually adapted for their particular placements on the boat. They serve to rigidly hold the oar in stabilized position to serve asone of the leeboard units. As brought out in Figures 6 and 7, the oars are employed in pairs on opposite sides of the boat and are never to the aft of the center line, but are approximately some two feet, not less, aft of the mast. The mast ishere shown and denoted by the numeral 3,! and is provided with a sail 82. The boat is generally indicated at 33, being of a sail-equipped life saving type. It is possible to sail a little into the wind, using this sort of an assemblage of leeboard-forming oars, an accomplishment which has been found substantially impossible on sail-equipped lifeboats as they are known to me. The fact that the oars are regular boat oars makes it possible to re- I move them and use them in the regular way. In practice, the extreme lower end of the blade of the car will extend about one foot below'the keel.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in the drawing will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sufficient to clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination, a sail equipped lifeboat, a mast attached to and rising vertically from the bow end of said lifeboat, a sail mounted for operation on said mast, a pair-of oar positioning and anchoring brackets rigidly attached to exterior surfaces of the opposite sides of the said boat, said brackets being established at positimes not l ss than two feet aft ofsaid mast and forwardly of the transverse center line of the boat and including keeper seats, a pair of standard-type rowing oars, each including a relatively broad fiat faced paddling blade at one end and a handle equipped shank at the other end, and means for rigidly but detachably fastening the handle portion of each car to a complemental side of the boat with the lower end portion of the paddling blade projecting slightly below the keel of the boat and with the fiat p (1- dling surfaces of the blade parallel to said co plemental side and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boat, said means comprising an upper clamp adjustably and detach" ably mounted on said shank and provided with a right angularly dis-posed arm provided with set screw equipped fastening means fastened to the coacting gunwale, and a second clamp also adjustably and removably embracing said shank at a point spaced longitudinally and downwardly from said first named clamp and provided .with a keeper lined up with and located directly beneath said arm, said keeper being releasably' engaged with the coacting keeper seat in the complemental bracket, whereby said oars may be used as leeboards when in position on said boat or may be wholly detached and employed as independent oars whenever necessary or desirable.

2. A readily attachable and detachable temporarily usable leeboard for a sail-equipped lifeboat comprising a standard-type rowing'oar in-- cluding a relatively broad flat faced paddling blade at one end and ahandle equipped shank at the other end, a clamp adjustably and removably attached to said shankat a predetermined point and provided with a right angularly disposed arm having set screw equipped means releasably engageable over the coacting gunwale of said lifeboat, and a second clamp detachably and adjustably mounted on said shank at a point spaced longitudinally from the first named clamp and provided with a T-shaped keeper lined up with and located directly beneath said arm,-:said keeper being adapted for releasable but secure connection with a keeper equipped bracket adapted to be fixedly mounted on a side of said lifeboat, said clamps, arm and keeper all having complemental and companionate relationship so that when the oar is attached to the boat foruse, it will assume a vertical position with the lower or tip end of the blade projecting below the keel of the lifeboat and with the paddling flat faces 'of the blade assuming positions substantially parallel to the keel of said lifeboat.

FRANK L. NANTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 778,381 Sprague Dec. 27, 1904 977,835 Piscator Dec. 6, 1910 1,140,469 Lundin May 25, 1915 1,246,749 Joiner Nov.l3, 1917 1,285,2 l1 Kroseng Nov." 19,1918 1,788,462 Kederis et al. Jan. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7,292 Great Britain May 15,1916

of 1915 250,884 Italy Nov. 17, 1926 

